Where to set up a nest for Mrs. Broody

[bhawk-23]

How are the eggs? Are they alive?

I candled four, three were viable and the fourth was a very dark brown so I was having a harder te but I don't think it looks good. I'll candle again at 10 days. I feel so bad taking her eggs, and I'm nervous that I will screw things up by moving them and seeing as two broke I also worry about that.

Any advice on candling? Can I screen up the formation by moving them around?

 

[turkey girl 0964]

I feel so bad taking her eggs, and I'm nervous that I will screw things up by moving them and seeing as two broke I also worry about that.

Any advice on candling? Can I screen up the formation by moving them around?

No, I don't think anything bad will happen. I have candled a lot of my hens eggs and nothing bad has ever happened, but I am not an expert so...

 

[bhawk-23]

I candled the rest. Some of them just look weird to me, like the air sack was partly on the side or the blood ring(?) was pronounced. I'll wait another few days and try again.

 

[bhawk-23]

Update:

Out of 12 eggs total 2 broke and I believe 2 are unviable from candling. There could be more but my inexperienced eye could not really tell. As of today 4 have hatched. This means there are 6 eggs, including the 2 I believe to be unviable under her still. She has not left the nest since Thursday morning. Friday late afternoon/evening was the first confirmed chick we could see. Today I moved water and food very close to her and she drank and ate and then called for the hatched chicks.

Question:

How long will she stay there waiting for the other 6 to hatch? Should we move the water and food further away to encourage her to get up? Or since she can eat/drink and the chicks can too just leave it for another 24 hrs?

Thanks!

 

[Ascholten]

Id leave it like it is. she knows what she is doing. If the eggs end up non viable then deal with them then but if she's eating ad drinking, let her do her thing. Id not be in such a hurry to disrupt and make her move, she'll go wander when she's ready and take the little ones with her!

Aaron

 

[bhawk-23]

Id leave it like it is. she knows what she is doing. If the eggs end up non viable then deal with them then but if she's eating ad drinking, let her do her thing. Id not be in such a hurry to disrupt and make her move, she'll go wander when she's ready and take the little ones with her!

Aaron

Thank you!
That is my inkling but this is only our second hatch. The first was with this same hen and she did amazing! Hatched all 12 eggs and raised all 12 for about 7 weeks. I am confident in her, just not me. Lol

And I am SUPER anxious to see them cuties!!

 

[bhawk-23]

Ok, yesterday we counted 4 chicks that hatched Friday and Saturday. This morning I counted 5. I lifted her off just so I could see the condition of the eggs left and I could swear I saw 5, which would make sense. But this evening there are 4 eggs and 6 chicks! One seemed more wobbly and stuck to mama than the others. Is this possible to have hatched another today? There are 1 or 2 eggs left that I "thought" were viable, is there a chance they could still hatch? All eggs were received and set under her the same day.